Change Begets Change
by Numbered.Tables
Summary: Shikamaru's journey after the failed Sasuke Retrieval Mission. Seeing how the course of Shippuden is changed by Shikamaru's different choices during the time between Sasuke's defection and Naruto's returning to the village. Possible Slash-maybe ShikaNeji.
1. Prologue

**Hey, this is just a prologue; the chapters will never be this short.  
I am thinking NejiShika but will probably just let the writing flow and not pre-plan. This is a warning for possible Slash.  
I don't own Naruto.  
I don't watch the anime so am going by the Manga: meaning I am not taking into account any of the Filler episodes after Sasuke left.  
****  
This story is about Shikamaru and takes part after his failed mission to bring back Sasuke; it will not be Shippuden-compliant as Shikamaru will change in this time and this change begets more change until eventually Canon Naruto will be completely different.**

"Next time definitely… I'll show that I can do it flawlessly."

The words he said in the face of the tragedy he had caused echoed in his mind. Shikamaru had just finished talking to Tsunade; questioning why there were so few medical ninja. She had a point, they might have been hard to train but that was no reason not to try.

He had seen Sakura, walking with a one track mind, walking like a man on a mission. He could tell from the mutterings under her breath that she had a plan. That she was going to train; she was going to get stronger: one more medical ninja for the village. Tsunade was considered world-class when it came to medics but she was the Hokage and she was not the only medic in the village. Maybe others would take shinobi under their wings.

The Rookie Nine was no longer. Sasuke was officially a Missing-nin: Shikamaru should know; it had been his fault that they couldn't bring him back. Naruto had left with the Perverted Sannin Jiraiya and wouldn't be returning for a good couple of years.

As Shikamaru thought it over he felt a level of ironic humour that the three members of the Team Ten had separated and each looked to a different member of the Sannin as a teacher. This caused a loose, disheartened laugh.

The point was, each of the three were training. Each of the three were getting stronger. Each of the three would meet again, in the future, as different people capable of different things. They shouldn't be the only ones. Shikamaru wrestled with himself. On one side, his lazy nature argued that he was happy where he was: that he was happy to move like the clouds and go wherever the breeze took him. On the other, all he had to do was look at Chouji covered in seals and wires and he had his answer. If he was going to avoid repeating this situation; if he was going to show that he could do a mission flawlessly; he had to get better.

Of the remainder of the Rookie Nine: Chouji and Kiba were still in hospital; Ino was struggling to keep calm with her best friend hospitalised and her crush defecting; Shino still hadn't returned to the village with his father; Hinata was worried about her cousin whom she had just recently begun to get to know. Neji: the boy was probably in the worst shape of them all, Shikamaru barely knew him but still managed to find himself sat with the genin on most days. At first it had been whilst Neji was unconscious but as he woke, Shikamaru continued to see him. They didn't do much in the way of talking but found the comfortable silences appealing as they played games like Shougi and Go. It was a little odd but there seemed to be the beginnings of a tentative friendship between them.

As he sat atop the Hokage Monument and looked to the sky: to the calming wisps of cloud as they floated across the sky; Shikamaru began to think about himself; to assess himself. He had no clear talent. His speed, strength and stamina were poor. Beyond the basics he only know two jutsu and they were only because of his family line. He wasn't trained with any weapons. He had not trained in an elemental disposition. His sink or swim leadership moment resulted in him sinking: a failed mission and the four members of his team hospitalised. He was weak.

He was intelligent. He had a quick and accurate mind for tactics. He had brilliant chakra control. He had shown an affinity to Genjutsu even if he had yet to learn any techniques.

Sadly one list was clearly much more extensive than the other. Shikamaru began to take note on what he could do and who to turn to. Genin rarely got tutored by anyone other than their families and their Jounin instructor but it had happened before. Asuma was a great instructor: it was because of him that their team had such amazing team work and that they were one of few teams to get through the Second Stage of the Chuunin Exams. Yet there were things that Shikamaru needed to learn that he couldn't help with.

Shikamaru felt that he should play to his strength and learn some basic Genjutsu at least; an area which Asuma-sensei was very weak in. It was pointless to ask a Genjutsu user that used family justu: the Yamanaka Clan were close to the Nara's but it was unheard of to share family secrets with another clan. Who else used Genjutsu in the village? Yuhi Kurenai was head of Team Eight: she used a variety of different types of Genjutsu; yet she had her own team to teach and he had heard that she was practically Hinata's guardian. It was very unlikely but he supposed it didn't hurt to ask. Were there any other Genjutsu users in the village? The scarred man: Morino Ibiki who was the proctor in the first stage of the Chuunin Exams; apparently he was Head of the Torture and Interrogation Force. Not a man you wanted to anger. Shikamaru didn't know if he would risk asking the man, or if he could withstand any training done by the man as he assumed a lot of the 'training' could pass for torture.

Shikamaru cleared his throat. He also needed to get better in Taijutsu. His current fighting was laughable: a lot of jumping and dodging with a few weakly thrown punches and kicks.

As he was about to break it down further and start to think about what sort of taijutsu would be best for him to train in; Shikamaru was interrupted. A sudden movement caught his eye and a polite "Nara Shikamaru" was called from about fourty feet away. Shizune stood graceful and respectable, "Tsunade-sama would like to see you."

'Yay.' Shikamaru thought sarcastically, 'Another mission.' But for once, it wasn't because he wanted to lie back down on the grass and look up at the clouds, it was instead because he had a lot to do if he wanted to start training and that was something he couldn't do whilst, probably, delivering a spoilt child to a land far away.

* * *

"A whole year?"

"A whole year."

"In the Fire Temple?"

"In the Fire Temple."

"With Monks?"

"Shikamaru, you should know that the Fire Temple is a Shinobi Monastery. They are not solely Monks. It is the Year of the Inu; where Monks from each Temple are welcomed into other Country's Temples as a sign of sincerity and peace. You will be on a one year-length mission that will require you to escort Fire Temple Representatives to different temples. It makes little sense for you not to stay at the temple as you are to be on hand whenever the Monks need you." Tsunade spoke as if she had been told what to say; however, the harshness in her natural tone made it so much harder to argue with.

"Surely the Monks of a Shinobi Monastery would be trained to be able to care for themselves?" Shikamaru spoke evenly so as to seem like he wasn't opposing her, it was a reasonable observation to make.

The woman took a sip of the Sake bottle that had been hidden behind a large pile of paperwork, probably from Shizune. "Some of the Monks travelling are young and still in training." She took another sip. Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest once more. "-No Shikamaru." He fell silent immediately. "I understand that you may be averse to spending a year away from your friends and family but the mission needs to be completed." The finality in her voice meant their conversation was over; Shikamaru knew a lost cause when he saw one so he nodded softly. He felt a small wave of guilt; he hadn't been thinking about his friends and family: was it wrong that spending a year away from them didn't bother him? "You will be leaving the day after next. Wednesday, 5am at the Front Gates. You will be accompanying a young monk, Sentoki, back to the Fire Temple which is where you will be staying for the majority of your mission."

'There goes my plan for training…' Shikamaru internally groaned. It seemed that when he finally came round to the idea of the most: the idea that you needed to improve, that fate had a different plan.

As he walked slowly from the office, he started to think about who he had to tell. Ignoring his first instinct of not telling anyone and just leaving; Shikamaru's mind shot through everyone he had to tell. His mother; she would fuss about everything and get all maternal. His father; possibly wouldn't know the difference apart from his wife's excess nagging, due to her having one less person to badger. Asuma; he would have to leave a message. The man was no longer Shikamaru's active sensei but Shikamaru would always look to the man for guidance. Chouji; his best friend would get sentimental and quite possibly try to hug him; Shikamaru wasn't as touchy-feely as his friend. Ino; the blonde would harpy on until he left. Neji: Shikamaru has no idea why the name came to his mind. Other than a few Shogi games, they had barely any contact. Even with the games, they rarely talked apart from greetings and farewells. Shikamaru supposed it was more about mental stimulation than friendship but he would be lying if he said that he wasn't going to miss meeting with the Hyuuga.

Shikamaru decided that, as he was closest to the Hyuuga Grounds, he would tell Neji first. The Older boy hadn't been back from the Hospital for long and wasn't up to properly training but he sat out in the Training Ground. Back straight, legs crossed and hands joining loosely to make a slight circle: Neji was meditating as Shikamaru was shown onto the Grounds by a Branch-family member.

The Hyuuga could probably sense his presence but didn't break from his position of say anything so the Nara walked forward until he was next to the older and imitated his meditating. Shikamaru didn't often meditate, he didn't need to: the balance and calm wasn't something that the Nara had to work for. Perhaps there were one or two positive things about him that he hadn't taken into account.

"Yes?" Neji asked, unmoving, as they both sat, eyes closed.

"I just came to say Goodbye. I am leaving on Wednesday for year-long mission." Shikamaru spoke gently; he was expressionless as he watched the Older. Neji froze momentarily before quickly reverting to his usual peaceful position; a lesser ninja wouldn't have noticed the change. Letting Neji keep his pride, Shikamaru did not comment.

The silence that followed was awkward, a clear sign that they didn't know each other enough. "Thankyou for telling me."

The rest of Shikamaru's goodbyes were not enjoyable experiences. His ribs were still aching from the fierce hugs that his mother and teammates had felt obliged to give him; he guessed they were trying to make sure they stayed in his thoughts.

Before Shikamaru knew it, Wednesday morning had arrived and as he walked through the bare streets of Konoha he looked to the sky. It was still dark but a gentle red coloured the sky as the sun started to rise. As he found himself at the Grand Front Gates, he turned back for a short moment to see Konoha, to see the home that he would miss over the next year. "Bye..." He whispered under his breath.

**I reposted because I have rethought the story and decided to miss out the next year. I am going to include flashbacks of Shikamaru's time at the Fire Temple but felt there would be too many OCs if I were to write the year and that it would get boringly repetitive.**


	2. Shikamaru Stood Strong And Tall

**NOTE THAT I HAVE ADDED TO THE PROLOGUE. 12/3/10**

Shikamaru stood tall and strong. His posture had improved over the year, or so Chiriku had told him. The Chuunin's eyes sparkled as he looked at his home. Konoha: the village hidden in the leaves.

The Fire Temple was of course beautiful, as were the other temples throughout the countries that Shikamaru had escorted the Monks to; but nothing could compare to the greatness of his village. The raw power of the Hokage Monument; the unique architecture of the many buildings; the beauty of the trees native to Konoha that you couldn't find anywhere else. It was good to be home.

Shikamaru could remember his first days at the Fire Temple. The discomfort of constantly being around people who gave their lives to a cause, a religion, that he didn't believe in. He worried that he might put his foot in his mouth; that he would say something wrong or insult the people he was spending a year with. Those few days evaporated quickly. The Monks in the Fire Temple were amazing people. Shikamaru fitted in well with them; it was odd. They had very little in common but at the same time they seemed like they had everything in common.

Looking back a year when Shikamaru was first told about the year away, he had seen it as a curse; the worst possible thing to happen when he had just decided he was going to train. He had never been so wrong.

That year was quite possibly the most intense training he had ever experienced. His father had never been pushy. His mother had pushed him to do chores not train. After Asuma had found out his IQ he had decided physically pushing him wasn't great. It sounded horrible to say but he knew that Ino and Chouji had held him back. They had fallen into a routine. Ino would lead, Shikamaru would decide and Chouji would be the muscle of the group. The time away from the people who had himself so comfortable was the best thing for him. Shikamaru was forced to up his game. The Monks didn't relax their training to better suit Shikamaru; he had to keep up with them. He was alone on missions and in charge: he was the only resource and that stretched him more than he ever could have been stretched if he had stayed where he was comfortable. And now, back in the village with those people, he would show them how he changed and he wouldn't lax in his training: he wouldn't fall back into his bad habits.

Shikamaru remember the first time he had seen Chiriku, the Head Monk.

_--_

_"You are lazy." Chiriku's voice was objective. This was purely an observation: the Monk wasn't judging him. Yet that was what made it worse. _

_"Sorry sir." Shikamaru spoke unsurely. It was his first time meeting the Head Monk and he didn't know what to refer to him as. He obviously hadn't made a great first impression_

_"Don't call me sir. You are not a monk here. You are a ninja of Konohagakure. I am not your boss." he spoke so gently but he was so controlled, there was so much power in his voice. "My name is Chiriku."_

_"Yes Chiriku-sama." He spoke and gave a small nod of respect to the Head Monk._

_The Older Man stood tall, just metres away as Shikamaru noticed something that he had not known. Not been told by his sensei and had not been included in the Mission Debrief._

_"Your sash..." His eyes darted from the fire kanji sash around the Monk's waist. "You were one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja?"_

_Chiriku paused, an eyebrow arching. "You know of the Fire Country's Guardian Ninja?"_

_"My jounin instructor, Asuma-sensei was one of the group." _

_"You are a student of Asuma?" It was a rhetorical question._

_--_

From that moment on, the Monk pushed him; suggesting he joined in the training that the Monks of the Fire Temple did daily. Saying that it would be a sign of disrespect; really leaving Shikamaru no choice but to train, not that he would have declined had he not.

There was little to do in the Temple. Shikamaru was left free of the people who would constantly bother him at home. When not escorting Monks across Country Borders, the Chuunin would enjoy a simple day. Wake up, train, chores, eat, train, chores, eat, sleep. That basic structure would have been troublesome if he had faced it earlier in life but his life in the Temple was calm and flowing.

The Monks of the Fire Temple had access to a special ability known as the Gift of the Hermit Group. As an outsider, he was obviously not trained in this. Meaning it was taijutsu constantly. This Shikamaru fought nothing like the one that had left the village a year ago.

He was older. He was more developed. He was stronger.

Physical Combat was not the only thing Shikamaru had been taught. There was a reason that Chiriku was chosen as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja; the man had precise chakra control and showed a very clear talent in sealing jutsu. Shikamaru too held the necessary attributes for a good sealing ninja. That high level of control: with chakra, emotionally and mentally.

It had started with Generic Sealing: being able to place a kunai in a scroll and then call it back out. But over the months of intense training, it grew to so much more. So many sealing techniques were forbidden and there was so much harm that could be easily inflicted. Shikamaru would be lying if he said that he wasn't tempted to learn some of the darker methods but with Chiriku overlooking his training, the Chuunin remained in the light. The training was severe and extreme but he was so much better for it. The end result was visible on his lower arm. On his wrist lay the kanji for Chakra. The idea was derived from a jutsu performed by the Hokage herself. Just as the small diamond harvested chakra over time to be used on a rainy day; the kanji on Shikamaru's wrist was constantly absorbing small amounts of his chakra so that he could later release the seal and all of the chakra stored would flow through his body. It was agonising to interrupt your own chakra system and those first few days where a lot of his chakra was sucked into the seal; Shikamaru hadn't been able to stand.

Escorting the Monks took him all over the five Great Countries and he would always leave his charge at the temple to explore. To enjoy the culture of Lands he had only read about or had to ignore while on ninja missions. At first it had been to enjoy the peace and tranquility of waterfalls and different wildlife but as his training progressed, he began to look at things differently.

--

_The dry paper rubbed beneath his fingers as he inspected the ink. It wasn't necessary, Shikamaru wouldn't have made any errors whilst drawing out seal but with a long scroll there was the slight chance that he had overlooked something. _

_It had started on an Escort mission to the Land of Woods; to a tiny Temple that held few monks who were untrained in combat. While he was travelling through a small village, he had noticed paper being sold on the street. Not just any paper but chakra paper. The genius felt the need to buy it; if his training was to progress then he would need to know which element he had an affinity to. As he bought the paper and channelled his chakra through into the special slip; the paper began to drip, liquid falling to the floor._

_Water Affinity in the Land of Fire was not uncommon but it was not what they were known for. Shikamaru had a hard time thinking of anyone who knew enough water ninjutsu to be able to teach it. Also, in the dense forests that Konoha were known for, there were rarely large bodies of water. Once he was more accomplished perhaps he could draw the water from the vegetation, hell, even the air itself. That was a long way away. So, he started to think about all those that he had encountered in the past. Gaara. The idea of carrying the body spored from the clabash gourd that the Suna ninja always carried on his back. What could he carry water in? His initial thought was a flask which led him to scold himself. That was a stupid idea, carrying the amount of water needed in a container would be more of a hindrance than a help. _

_Sealing. _

_Thus stood staring at the violent beauty of a waterfall, Shikamaru started his plan. He rolled up the scroll. He positioned himself at the side of the, somewhat thin, waterfall. He calmed his breathing to a steady breath. Shikamaru threw the scroll across the waterfall, keeping his hand firmly on the detached edge. As the scroll unrolled, Shikamaru immediately performed a succession of hand seals and instead of the water ruining the the scroll; the water seemed to be absrobed into the scroll._

_--_

The first had been so that he could perform water jutsu but Shikamaru didn't stop there. The next was an accident; he encountered a house on fire and in sealing fire into a scroll, he had saved the house; or at least stopped the house from being completely destroyed. Then the idea of having a scroll for each element came to mind.

For a self-professed coward, his actions were stupid. Waterfalls and fires were little danger to the chuunin but what he did for the three remaining elements was dangerous. For earth, Shikamaru had found a rockslide. For wind, Shikamaru had thrown himself into very close contact with a tornado. Lastly, lightning; the most dangerous. With the help of a metal pole, Shikamaru had managed to absorb a bolt of the very lightning itself. Geniuses shouldn't be left to think alone and shouldn't be allowed to act on these thoughts.

Chiriku seemed to guess he was up to something but didn't know what; he noticed the appearance of the scrolls that Shikamaru had attached to a chain which was linked to his belt on his right hand side but thankfully never questioned them. Chiriku was a lot like that, he was observant, he was objective but he rarely voiced his opinions or questioned anyone.

Shikamaru looked at the Front Gates, the main entrance to Konoha. He was home.

--

The inky darkness that had dominated the sky for a good portion of his journey was slowly lightening. The skies had an orange hue as the sun fought to overcome the night. Dawn was threatening and Shikamaru knew that most ninja would be awakening for a day of training or a mission. He had been a clear exeption to this assumption when he had been in the village. He rarely woke before nine; and then only after threats from his mother. Things were going to change. The being woken up by his mother as one of the first to go.

He made his way through the gates and gave a silent nod of greeting to two familiar faces. Kotetsu and Izumo were on duty; registering who left and who came into the village. He had rarely, if ever, talked to them before but the glee of familiarity was enough to make him happy to see their faces.

As he walked, a glint of light caught his eyes. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon and was being reflected onto a window. Shikamaru moved to the glass and saw his reflection staring back.

The Nara tried to think about what he looked like when he had left the village; it had only been a year ago but a lot can change in a year. Shikamaru knew that he stood taller; a good five inches making him taller than average. His slim frame had bulked up; he was still lean but was clearly toned. His hair remained the same and both ears stilled pierced with silver studs. His eyes looked sharper, they had aged and even though they had lost their innocence a long time ago, Shikamaru's eyes now held many years of experience. His skin was more tanned then it had been when he left, he attributed that to the escort missions and the training; they trained whatever the weather in the Temple but it was mainly under the scorching sun.

When he left, he had been wearing mesh and a shirt with the Nara insignia along with three quarter length brown slacks. He had since outgrown this clothing. His wardrobe now consisted of tight fitting, long sleeve t-shirts of blacks and greys; full length black slacks and the standard regulation, green chuunin flak jacket commonly unzipped. An old green bag hung over his right shoulder that held some more clothes. His headband remained placed on his left, upper arm. On his right side a chain hung, linked to the belt with five small scrolls attached loosely. On his left side, a four foot Kusari-fundo **(1)** hung, ravelled off his belt.

Shikamaru walked through the streets, appreciating the things that he had ocne taken for granted about village life. Like the small children who had escaped their homes early to play 'Ninja' with cardboard shuriken. As he struggled to evade their little game, he noticed that there was a slight annoyance growing at the children: this appreciating every day life would not last for very long. Shikamaru took the scenic route around the village to the Hokage's Office. As he neared the building, the Chuunin noted that the sun was now completely visible; he was a slow walker.

It wasn't long before he came face to face with another familiar face. Shizune had not changed as she sat with her hopeful smile with Tonton at the desk outside the Hokage's Office. She nodded happily to him, telling him that the Hokage was free.

Shikamaru opened the door quietly and walked inside gently; knowing that there was a good chance that Tsunade was hungover and from experience, you never made loud noises near her when she was. Not that he was a generally loud person. "Tsunade-sama." He spoke calmly and a tone that would not hurt her ears.

There was a slight movement behind the stacks of paperwork then a muffled. "I'm not asleep."

"That is good to know." Shikamaru had spent a year with the Head Monk who relented that he only be called Chiriku, some of the informality was bound to have carried over. This coupled with the fact that Tsunade was never formal with her subordinates meant that Shikamaru didn't regret his remark.

He heard a faint chuckle before a head of blonde hair rose from behind the paper, closely followed by a pale face and and the rest of Tsunade's body. She hadn't changed over the year but he hadn't been expecting her to. "I have the mission scroll signed by Chiriku along with a 'Thankyou'." He looked to the woman as he placed the scroll on the already full desk. "He said that he had paid up front." His usual lop-sided smirk directed to the woman.

"Yes he did." The Hokage agreed. She moved across the room and started rummaging through a pile; she seemed to know exactly where it was, maybe there was order in the random piles. "I won't keep you as you'll probably want to get to your family. I just want to congratulate you on a great accomplishment and give you this." She handed over four large envelopes. "This is payment from the mission; Chiriku wanted the payment split between the village and the ninja evenly." She smiled at him lightly before nodding and then turning back: either to sleep, do paperwork or drink some sake.

Shikamaru left swiftly. As the heir to the Nara Family, he had always been financially secure. Sure, they weren't the Uchiha or the Hyuuga Clan but they were well off and a very respectable family. Especially as the deer the raised were often used for food and medicine. However, this payment would help with what he was hoping to do immediately: move out. The time away had showed Shikamaru that he could be independant and that he could look after himself. It also showed him that he liked the freedom he had got on the mission. He needed to find his own place.

Shikamaru hadn't been inside the Hokage Tower for long but the street looked completely different to what it had been when he went it. Where before there had only been a handful of children playing; now the streets were packed, carts dotted all around the sides of the roads; woman hustling and bustling to get shopping done whilst still trying to keep their children under control. Ancient people walking at a glacial place and holding up the rest of the street. Old Taiso Kokoro yelling at the Greengrocer about overcharging for apples. Nothing had changed.

He continued at his dawdle through the streets and it took his a good thirty minutes before he was looking at his family home. Most of the Nara Land was field based for the deer to graze. They also held a dense, and rather dangerous, forest. Some said that it was alive and over the years, they had found more than one dead body amoungst the trees. No innocent children thankfully. The few bodies had always been trespassing ninja from other villages. If any forest was clever enough to know who to attack; it would be the Nara's.

As he walked up the winding trail to his front door, Shikamaru took a deep breath before moving his arm forward and gently pushing down the handle. He had put the envelopes in his bag on the walk. The chuunin took another deep breath before walking across the threshold. It hadn't been seconds before arms were squeezing the life out of him. Mothers must have a sixth sense or something; they also must have unnatural speed and strength to be able to do that.

As the arms loosened, about fifty minutes later, he was able to break away and inhale dramatically. The son smiled at his mother who shook her head trying to look unamused but being betrayed by the joyful smile that dominated her face.

Shikamaru spent a good few hours with his mother and father; shared stories about the year that had passed and talked about moving out. By the end of it, Yoshino noticed the change clearly; her son was all grown up. If he wanted to move out, she would allow him... Of course she would have a key so she could see him any time she needed. Yoshino expected that no matter how different he seemed or how far he moved away, she would still be doing laundry and cooking for her son.

The nara heir left the Nara Grounds with his bag. His mother had elected to look at apartments and if it made her feel involved he was happy for her to do it. It didn't bother him where he lived, he just wanted a space that he could call his. So all he had to do was get back to life as normal. Meet up with his friends, catch up on everything.

He internally debated where to go first. Over the year that he was away, Shikamaru had missed all of his friends but some clearly more than others. He reluctantly missed Ino and kept wanting to talk to Chouji. They had always been the people he was closest to. This was why it was weird that he had begun to miss someone more than them. Neji plagued is thoughts constantly. One bad thing about the meditation and training at the Temple was that it left Shikamaru with a lot of time to think and the Byakugan user kept popping up. Their tentative friendship was odd. They didn't have much in common but the Nara felt comfortable around the older boy; more comfortable than he was around anyone else and that was slightly scary. Shikamaru scrapped the idea of going to the Hyuuga Grounds first, if he had then his old teammates would get pissed off.

It was luck perhaps that led him to the Barbecue hut, but Shikamaru would argue that it was his greater level of understanding mixed with the fact that people didn't change much. It was around noon when he walked into the hut and as if they had been expecting him. His two former teammates catapulted themselves at him and enveloped him in two sets of arms. As he was given a moment to breath and the two stepped back, Shikamaru noted that Ino was still as thin as ever, she was an inch or two taller and was a lot more developed in the chest than she had been before he left. Chouji looked to be the same height but didn't look round or plump; it seemed he did actually have big bones and the fat had transformed into muscle. The Akimichi was still on the large side but it definitely wasn't all fat.

As he looked to where the two must have been sitting before, he noted that they were not alone. His old sensei was sat smiling up at him and a familiar head of pink hair meant that Sakura had joined them. Both of whom he wanted to see.

He shook himself free of the arms and moved to join the table. He first looked to his sensei. "Asuma-sensei." He nodded to the man. "Chiriku sends his best wishes." He had on his lop-sided grin and Asuma's eyes bulged. "I noticed the sash the first time I met him and mentioned you wore the same one." The older man was silent so Shikamaru moved on. He released the bag and let it drop to the floor before unzipping it.

He had unpacked his belongings and replaced in a few things. "Sakura, something someone said while I was away made me think of you." It was true, Shikamaru had once asked Chiriku why he was the Head Monk at the Temple when he could be travelling. He had said that although he wanted to see the world and relax, he wanted the monks, his allies, to be as strong as possible so when he wasn't available or when he was gone, they could continue on in life and live fruitful lives. He wasn't looking at the girl, he had his head in the bag. "Your still training with Tsunade-sama, right?"

He heard a gentle "Yes".

Shikamaru plucked out a thick book. It was a notebook from the Nara household. The Nara dropped it on the table where it made a loud thump. "The Nara family help with a lot of the medicine created. This is a volume of these medicines and how the antidotes were first created." He patted the book as she stared open-mouthed. "I figure Tsunade will have focused on actual procedures so this should help when you move on to antidotes and medicines." The Nara book was added to every so often but ever since Shikamaru's granfather died in the invasion at the Chuunin Exams, it just gathered dust. His father was not a researcher and Shikamaru had never been taught anything about the medicines. There was no point in it just sitting there when it could potentially help someone.

Silence drifted over the group as they sat around the barebcue grill which Shikamaru enjoyed; the quiet was always nice. However, the chuunin could sense that everyone was slightly uncomfortable so he tried to change it. "So, what has changed in the village?" The response was unenthusiastic, but the attempt at conversation at least made it more comfortable. Chouji started eating gleefully.

"Ok..." He thought for a short moment. "I have missed two potential chuunin exams." He commented uncommitedly, "Did anyone pass?"

Ino looked down angrily, and Shikamaru knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing. Apparently all at the table were still genin. "Konoha didn't enter the first Chuunin exam, as we were still rebuilding the last of the village." Asuma spoke deeply. "In the other Chuunin Exam, Sakura became the temporary third member of Team Ten; it was their first time as a group in the second task and they didn't get through. But Team Eight and Team Nine got through to the final. There was very little competition and though we can't speak for the other village; Shino and Neji were by far the best competitors. It was an all-Konoha final and Neji won the tournament. Both have been promoted to Chuunin." The Sarutobi was obviously there watching it as he had a slight smile over the memory of a good fight. "I feel for that Lee kid, had to go up against Neji in the first round or I think he might have been promoted as well. Gotta say, Hinata and Tenten didn't seem up to par in the fighting and Kiba just acted without thinking: not good for a potential chuunin." The jounin concluded and Shikamaru thought back to the Chuunin Exam he went to. Tenten had been completely floored by Temari but Hinata had seemed to give a good fight, not that she ever could match up to the prodigy that was her cousin.

Chouji didn't seem too bothered about failing the exam. Sakura was busy flicking through the book . Ino, however, seemed pissed off with herself. Shikamaru could see why, she saw the fact that when they had Shikamaru in their group they could get through a group task but they couldn't without him and silently resented him for it. He understood and that was why whe didn't mind. His chest fluttered slightly with pride at the fact that Neji won the tournament but was a little peeved that he missed it.

They spent an hour there, and as the minutes passed, everyone seemed to get more comfortable and soon conversation was flowing. He had been right, nothing had changed. Shikamaru left the hut, pleased with a considerably lighter bag. His journey wasn't long, before he knew it he was deep within the Hyuuga Grounds speaking to a rather snobbish Branch-family member who didn't take kindly to having to be a servant to another member of the Branch-family. He was told to go to the Training Grounds; apparently this Hyuuga wasn't trained in hospitality like most of the Branch-family.

The Nara made his way through the grounds, only slightly feeling like he was an intruder who shouldn't be walking alone on private land. He found his way to the Training Ground to find Neji sparring with his uncle, the Head of the Hyuuga Family. For a short moment, Shikamaru thought about hiding and waiting for the older man to leave so as not to get the Branch member in trouble. Then he remember what the Hyuga were known for other than their politeness and etiquette; the byakugan. There was a ninety-nine per cent chance that he had already been seen but was being disregarded for training. The boy walked forward so he was in clear view and just watched as the two continued to trade hits. The movements that had once been blurs were now much easier to follow; in fact they didn't move too fast compared to Chiriku whose taijutsu was all about speed and flow; hell, that was Shikamaru's taijutsu now as well.

Neji looked great, he was taller as well, though possible an inch or two shorter than Shikamaru. His skin looked pale and pristine. His hair seemed so elegant and Shikamaru had to scold himself when he felt the need to run his hand through it. He hadn't changed much which Shikamaru was glad for, he hadn't needed to change at all.

The spar went on for about five minutes longer and when they stopped and Hiashi vanished immediately, Shikamaru couldn't help but be glad. His chest felt tight when he saw that Neji turned to look at him and he might have been imagining it but he thought he saw a smile when they first looked each other in the eye.

There was a silence but it wasn't uncomfortable, just like before they had left, they lapsed into familiarity. Shikamaru was the first to break it when his chest started to grow tighter. "I hear congratulations are in order."

The Nara saw that ghost of a smile again, maybe he was hallucinating. Neji nodded. "Thank you."

Shikamaru lowered the bag from his back and opened it; a short moment later, he pulled out a large box. A box that didn't look like it fit in the bag, especially when it had been sharing the space with a book just an hour before. "I have a gift for you." The older chuunin looked surprised.

"Why did you get me a gift." The Hyuuga seemed unsure over whether or not to accept anything. On one hand, it was rude to turn down gifts but on the other, he had no idea why someone he barely knew would give him a gift. He felt comfortable around Shikamaru; something that was unusual. He enjoyed the other man's company. He guessed they were friends at a stretch.

"To be honest, I have no idea." The Nara flowed slowly, "I just saw it and thought of you." He gave his usual lop sided grin. "Anyway, it may be for you. But I will use it." He joked, which Neji recognised, but Shikamaru would in fact be using it.

As the Hyuuga opened the box, he found a beautiful, hand-crafted Shogi board and on either side of it, sets of unique pieces. On the left, in white, the different pieces were carved into birds, ranging from Swallows to a Harpy Eagle, with great detail. On the right and in black, the pieces were carved into different cats, ranging from a kitten to a Lion.

Neji's mouth hung open as his fingers trailed over the intricate markings and carvings. As Neji looked into Shikamaru's eyes, the Nara saw the pure emotion in Neji's. It was almost as though it was the first present Neji had ever received. Thinking about it, there was a good chance that was the case, for several years at least. The sight caused tears to threaten his eyes. The Hyuuga was so closed off from people that people rarely saw any pure displays of emotion and the fact that Neji felt safe enough not to revert back to his usual stoic self made Shikamaru feel special; a warmth flowed through his chest, yet the tightness still tugged stong. Neji turned back, his mouth closed but his eyes still held the sparkle, "Thank you." The voice was broken and emotional; everything that Neji Hyuuga's voice was not and the warmth in Shikamaru's chest became unbearable but he didn't want to turn away and he didn't want to leave.

Struggling to keep his voice natural, "That's ok." He wondered if the line, 'It was worth it just to see you happy' was too cliche to use. Shikamaru got the feeling that if he were to stand there any longer then he would do something he would regret... Or Neji would regret and that was worse. So he took in as much of that gleeful feeling as possible before saying, "I've got to go meet Chouji and Ino. It was good to see you again. Congratulations."

He moved quickly to get out of the Grounds, something that Neji noticed, the Hyuga questioned this in his mind... 'You scared him away.' It was the logical conclusion. Neji felt tears prickle his eyes as he looked down at the beautiful gift.

**Hey guys. (1) a Kusari-fundo is pretty much a chain (I specified length) that has a weight on each end. Or so says Wikipedia which I have been told time and again not to use.**

**Thanks Lenne999 - First reviewer. I am pretty certain it will end up being ShikaNeji. I haven't changed the wording but I am going to look for a beta. You will know when I get one as my writing might make sense. =] **

**I am sorry I didn't include Shika's stay at the Temple and just jumped a year but I would have found it hard to write.**

**Chiriku may very well be out of character. I don't watch the anime and he only had a couple of lines in the manga. Saying that, in Naruto Wiki it says in the anime Shikamaru used a water jutsu so I carried that over as his affinity. Question for any reviewers or readers: should I include the Anime Shipuuden Filler Arc (anything that isn't in Manga) like Sora? I haven't watched any of it but if all the readers (the handful there are) have then I guess I can.**

**I don't have a beta so I am sorry for any mistakes (there will be quite a lot). Any volunteers?**

**Feedback appreciated and note that I have added to the prologue.**

**Ps. If I spell things wrong tell me. Like the Hyuga/Hyuuga thing or Chouji/Choji or Jonin/Jounin. Thanks.**


	3. It was obvious to the Eyes

**No Shika/Neji in this chapter or probably the next.**

**-**

It was obvious to the eyes: Shikamaru had changed. It wasn't just his appearance, he had grown more confident. He walked tall and with purpose.

One thing that had stuck was the not amused, lop-sided smirk that often dominated his face; the uninterested glaze to his eyes. Shikamaru was calm and at peace but unlike when he was a genin, he had an edge.

The Nara had known that it was coming but he had mixed feelings about it. Asuma wanted to assess his growth. On the one hand, he did want to show that jounin that he was different and had developed new skills. On the other, it was a bother and he didn't see why his old teacher particularly needed to know; there wasn't much of a chance that they would be together on any missions: Sakura had become the third member of Team Ten and she would join them on genin missions when not training with Tsunade.

He had been back a week before the spar happened: Asuma had mentioned it on his first day back but due to some stalling on Shikamaru's part; he had had some time to settle back into village life.

Taking in a deep breath, the chuunin fell back. The year had been spent with a lot of training in taijutsu but perhaps it wasn't enough. He had stood up against Asuma's brute strength and had managed to land a few good hits but this was probably due to the surprise from the jounin that his lazy student had jumped into combat instead of falling back to plan and scope out the land like normal. Shikamaru had gotten a lot better over the year and he was a force to be reckoned with but there was a reason that Asuma was a jounin. His strength crossed with his wind and fire jutsu was overwhelming. Shikamaru had to face it: even a year of intense training didn't mean he was up to Asuma's standard of taijutsu so he fell back.

The Nara ran through his options. This was friendly combat: that ruled out a lot of them. Most things he had been taught were dangerous and things to be used only in real combat. Like his scrolls; the lightning for example was enough to kill even a trained ninja: Shikamaru was sure that the rockslide would be dealt with by Asuma's chakra blades easily and that would probably be a waste of his scroll. He would have to remake the scroll if he used its entire contents in a friendly spar. He could always use his Nara-family jutsu but he expected his sensei was expecting that. His Kusari-fundo was still attached to his belt unused; that was probably a good idea. It would work well to lengthen his shadow to catch the man. Once the man was caught in the shadow he would most likely stand down but if he didn't Shikamaru could then seal him.

Shikamaru was poised and ready to move; he looked his teacher in the eye before his hands came together and formed a series of hand seals in quick succession. 'Double False Surroundings Technique'. The student knew his sensei wouldn't fall for it for long so he quickly commenced his plan. He shot off quickly making a pretty clear trail through trees before doubling back and carefully making his way in the opposite direction: making sure not to leave any tell-tale signs or interrupting the nature.

Shikamaru proceeded to mark a large circle on the floor before filling out a seal. The circle was about two metres in diameter but was clearly visible. The Nara then waited. His eyes closed and ears scoping out the land. He stopped when he heard a light footstep. In one swift movement, he unravelled his Kusari-fundo and swung it around. It collided with a tree which collapsed with a loud thud. In clear vision stood his teacher. Shikamaru swung his weapon accurately but Asuma seemed too experienced to be able to be hit. As he his it aside with his chakra blade; it happened. Asuma froze.

The Nara had found a way to channel his family's shadow possession jutsu into a weapon; now as the weapon kept the man in place: Shikamaru's shadow shot out and made contact with Asuma's as a safeguard. The chuunin pulled back his weapon and wound it up before clipping it to his belt. He smiled to his sensei as he started to walk.

They walked in unison and Shikamaru accurately measured the distance. As he watched, his teacher was stood in the middle of the seal. "Dorein." The Nara muttered and watched as the ink on the ground turned white and glowed. "Chiriku taught me this seal: Lion Closing Roar. With my shadow keeping you in place; the seal blocks off your chakra points meaning you cannot move or harvest chakra. You are defenceless." The student felt a little smug as he released both his jutsu and the seal. He had just beaten his teacher... Of course, he knew that it was only a friendly spar and that his teacher had been holding back. The sensei also hadn't known Shikamaru's abilities whereas the student knew Asuma's well. It wasn't a fair match but it still felt like an accomplishment.

--

Most would have felt uneasy with those powerful eyes trained on them but Shikamaru wasn't most. He had grown used to the, rather intense Hokage, and felt somewhat at ease around her. The Chuunin was sat in a chair opposite the againg blonde, listening intently to what she had to say for fear of violence. The teenager had never seen the woman fight but her aggressive nature coupled with the stories he had heard led him to believe she wasn't just Hokage because it ran in her family.

"-And we would like you to escort them to Iwagakure. It is just an extra precaution seeing what happened just over a year ago." She spoke solemnly, internally reminiscing about her sensei. "You will act as our Ambassador with the other villages attending. The Exams have already been sorted out so you don't have to worry about creative input but you will act as our representative. You will be leaving with the reformed Teams Eight and Nine. Yuhi Kurenai will have Akimichi Chouji in her group to bring up the numbers and Sakura will be joining Tenten and Lee in Neji's place as Yamanaka Ino will be helping her father on a mission. I will be arriving for the Third Task with Shizune and Asuma but you will act in my place until I get there."

For a fraction of a second, he felt as though this might have been a great opportunity but this was overpowered quickly by the knowledge that the majority of what Tsunade did was make trivial decisions and sign a lot of paperwork. "Yes Tsunade-sama." He nodded rigidly, _'At least I can enjoy the culture.' _"When will we be leaving?"

"One week on Thursday." The Hokage paused. "If neither Team Eight nor Team Nine pass the Second Exam then you will escort them home yet if one of them passes; you will stay with that team while they other makes their own way back and stay for the remainder of the Exams."

The Nara nodded, it was common sense.

--

The blonde was livid.

No one could ever say that Yamanaka Ino was a wallflower: a shy girl; but when not in the company or certain people like a rival or a crush, she regained some control. She often came off as level-headed. Asuma had said that Shikamaru had had a good influence on her. She had of course taken it as an insult and worked hard to disprove this by being louder and brasher than ever.

No, this was worse.

The girl was throwing a temper tantrum which was not attractive on a potential chuunin. However, that was the point. She wasn't a potential chuunin. The Yamanaka screamed at her father when he told her that he would be keeping her out of the next Chuunin Exam. The official story was that she was helping him on a mission but the truth was that the only time he could get off from the Interrogation Unit and had booked off coincided with the beginning of the Chuunin Exam.

It wasn't like he was forcing her to give up the opportunity for no reason. These weeks that he booked off were often devoted to training his daughter: always an ambitious girl, her reasoning had changed from trying to catch someone's eye to truly wanting to become a better kunoichi.

--

The Nara's feet led him to his place. The Nara Forest. Considered dangerous for many but not for Nara's. Shikamaru wasn't thinking as he walked aimlessly. He enjoyed the warming rays of the sun mixed with the slight breeze as he found himself in a clearing.

The genius started to stretch before falling into stance; the stance that had become like second habit in his year away. Shikamaru lost himself as he started to mindlessly repeat his training stances and stretches: a nearby tree experienced the brunt of his attacks. It looked a little worse for wear when something snapped the chuunin out of his daze.

A slight crunch could be heard; the sound of someone stepping on a fallen leaf. Yet here, in the middle of summer, leaves rarely fell. The Nara froze slightly, taking in a deep breath before turning as fast as he could and focusing on the direction of the sound. The familiar face of his best friend was visible. So much for the big, scary forest.

Shikamaru could tell his friend was happy. "Asuma-sensei just told me I am being entered for the next Chuunin Exam!" The large boy almost chirped. His expression fell almost immediately, "Ino isn't entered;" He explained the change of expression and looked around guiltily like he had done something wrong by telling him, "I am taking Shino's position in Team Eight for the exam." A guilty grin once again found its face but Shikamaru could tell the genin was unsure about the situation.

"Don't worry Chouji, it will be fine." The boy visibly relaxed a little as if all he had needed was to be told it would be fine. "I know you have only ever been with me, Ino and Asuma but you will get on fine with them." There was still a little uncertainty. Shikamaru's familiar lop-sided smirk made an appearance. "And if you need support just ask. I will be escorting the genin teams to the Chuunin Exams so you will have a familiar with you."

The plump boy actually jumped in cheer.

"Come on." The Nara nodded to the boy. "Do you want a spar? Basic taijutsu." Chouji rose his eyebrow; Shikamaru had changed in his time away, he would never have initiated a sparring session before. The Akimichi nodded in agreement and took position in front of the chuunin. Taijutsu had always been Shikamaru's weakest area whereas Chouji had a natural strength from his 'big bones' however, Asuma had told the Akimichi that his best friend had grown a lot while he was away.

It started with a few slow, weak hits. A kick or two and Chouji threw a punch. The Nara evaded the basic attacks before throwing some of his own. It progressed slowly. A good twenty minutes later and it got a little more serious. Chouji started properly fighting, putting his strength behind the hits and moving as fast as he could. The Nara kept up with him; he was fast. Very fast. The hits that he landed weren't very strong but he seemed to keep the best points to hit. The pressure points that required little force to wear the genin down. Five minutes of swift jabs and Chouji was forced to call off the spar, breathing heavily.

Shikamaru was no match to him for brute strength. But he was playing to his own strengths. Fast movements and agile evasions coupled with jabs at the opponents pressure points. It was so unlike Shikamaru: the speed and consistent attacks; but at the same time it was so like him. He wasn't strong and he knew it; he played to his strengths and his attacks seemed effortless.

"You're... Fast." The plump boy wheezed as he doubled over himself, breathing in deeply.

Shikamaru chuckled. He had missed his best friend. Chouji wasn't the sharpest tool in the box but he was strong and calm and he wasn't exactly stupid. "Yes, I trained with the monks and they rely mainly on taijutsu." He nodded to the boy, "I also learned some sealing jutsu from the Head Monk."

They remained in the woods for a good few hours, catching up as best friends did. No one to interrupt as they talked about things of no importance and little interest. It was just nice to be able to do so.

-

The vein on his temple was slowly becoming more prominent, it twitched in frustration. Tsunade-sama was not allowing him out of the village as she didn't want to risk the chuunin being delayed on a mission and unable to join the genin teams on the trip. So here he was.

Substituting as a teacher was not an enjoyable experience; he felt a rush of sympathy for Iruka as he thought of all the years that the man had been stuck inside the classroom. He internally apologised for ever misbehaving as a student. Still, as he stood in front of the class he longed for students to be like he was at their age: disinterested and quiet. No. There were only a handful of students that weren't loudly jabbering on. Shikamaru hated children.

He wondered shortly how long he would last if this was his every-day job. Then he looked shortly into his future, there was a good chance that if he ever rose to jounin he would be entrusted with a trio of runts. Not a nice thought. Shikamaru wasn't even keen on having teammates on missions. After his first mission failed terribly, he started to doubt his abilities to lead other people. It was best when he was alone, there were fewer variables; Shikamaru could trust in his own abilities and plan accordingly, fewer surprises and fewer risks. To have to be responsible for children was not something he would look forward to.

The week was hell. They only started listening to him after Iruka shouted at them for ignoring him two days in. The children weren't untalented per say; they were, however, stupid. His year had been lucky to have a handful of intelligent students, excluding himself, Shino, Sasuke, Ino and Sakura were all people that had a higher level of understanding. Sure, some of them had a good aim, some made perfect clones, some had a greater physical strength than even him; but not one of them seemed to have a tactically viable mind. They would be good foot-soldiers, this led Shikamaru to think about them as just that. The foot-soldiers were the first to go. How many of these students would be alive a month after graduating as a genin, a year, two years?

If he never saw a kid again, it would be too soon.

-

It wasn't long before he was back there, back at the Front Gates to Konoha: the main entrance into their village. Once more, he was leaving the comfort of village-life; the comfort of a proper bed in his own room and the concept of being with friends in a familiar setting. This time it wasn't so drastic: he knew the people he was escorting. Chouji he knew really well, he used to slack off from school with Kiba and Sakura had been his replacement when he had been promoted to chuunin. It would have been nice to travel with Ino and Asuma as well but he guessed that the six weeks he would be in Iwagakure wouldn't be too long: he would be back and finally able to properly settle into every-day life then.

The bored chuunin leaned back on the gate. After a short smile to his best friend, he closed his eyes, they were just listening to Kurenai as she told them how the trip was going to go, telling them to keep quiet, calm and do whatever she, or Gai, told them to do.

Shikamaru had noted the odd look from Kiba as the dog-boy saw him stood with them, he guessed that to his old classmates, he would always be the same age and rank as them; it had taken Kiba a couple of minutes to click and Shikamaru had seen the light come on in the genin's empty head with the look of realisation. Chouji had known he was going to be there; Lee and Tenten didn't really know him; and Hinata and Sakura were sharp enough to catch on to why he was there.

They set off at a pretty even speed; it would take them four days to get to Iwagakure. The group had to take stops every couple of hours as some of the team didn't have a brilliant stamina, like Chouji or Sakura; he now didn't fit in with this group but did keep to the pace set by his friend. It was a connection that the two boys had, they didn't have to talk, that would be bothersome, they just had to be in each other's presence to provide a support.

The first night was uneventful but Shikamaru found himself being treated as one of the adults and not like his classmates; he and the two jounin would be taking shifts; each with two genin who would take half of the shift each with him.

The Nara found himself to be on first shift: staying up for three extra hours with Hinata and Sakura whilst the rest of the team rested. He supposed this was the best of the three shifts, after this he could sleep uninterrupted.

Shikamaru sat there with the medical genin on two tree stumps looking out through the trees. The two barely spoke, each keeping to their own thoughts, with the pink-haired girl thanking her superior for the Nara Medical Book he had shared with her a couple of weeks previously two or three times. They had never really gotten along, at the Academy, she had been Sasuke's fan girl; he guessed the same could still be said now. Yet, she had matured, her crush may have remained but she used her brain and she was considered level-headed in un-Sasuke-related circumstances. He also knew that the lack of Medical ninja was one of the main reasons for the high death rate in the ninja profession and admired her ambition to succeed in the area. After an hour and a half, the girl had left to wake the young Hyuuga.

Hyuuga Hinata was a nice girl. She always had been and Shikamaru felt slightly guilty in the fact that he questioned her choice to be a ninja whenever he saw her. It might have been a slightly sexist belief that she should be at home but seeing her timid and vulnerable, he couldn't really see her as a cut-throat kunoichi that would kill when necessary.

The Byakugan-user sat down next to him with a slight nod of respect; Shikamaru internally chuckled, it was odd to be treated differently. They exchanged the necessary pleasantries as the Nara tried to stop the only question that was on his mind as he saw those eyes, but failed. That tranquil pale violet, almost white: it reminded the boy of clouds... And another person.

"So Hinata-chan, how is your cousin?" As the words left his mouth he winced. It was one thing to slip it into a lengthy conversation. He was intelligent, he knew how to be subtle but apparently his brain malfunctioned.

The girl's eyes widened slightly in surprise, Hinata always had a very expressive face. She paused momentarily and stuttered out. "I -I... I have not s-seen Neji-niisan for f-four days. H-he went on a mission to Sunagakure." The girl possibly thought that it was rude to question his intentions which Shikamaru was slightly glad about; it meant that she wouldn't ask about his question but the look in her eyes clearly asked 'why?'.

The subtlety that Shikamaru was proud to say he had kicked in at that moment. The chuunin gently nudged the conversation into one of the training she had done since the last Chuunin Exam and how she wanted to prove herself to the others; to her family; to the fellow genin. Shikamaru felt by 'fellow genin' she was meaning Naruto but he knew the girl wanted her team to notice her achievements as well. Shikamaru wasn't the most compassionate person and he was probably one of the worst to go to if you needed emotional support: sure he was probably more adept than Sasuke and more tactful than Naruto but still, he felt incredibly uncomfortable as that conversation progressed. Hinata was getting rather emotional as she started to talk about her family; how her father had handed her over to Kurenai because she was weak, how she wanted to show her cousin that she wasn't worthless: that she was a talented kunoichi. Shikamaru's mind went to the thought that hit him whenever he saw her, it was wrong of him to think she wasn't right to be a ninja. Wrong for him to make a judgement based on his past impressions of her when he himself wanted to shed his skin and be seen in a new light.

They talked all the way through the hour and a half and the time slid by unnoticed until a familiar bowl-cut stuck his head out from a make-shift tent. As Shikamaru was replaced by Gai and as he drifted off into a calm sleep, he thought about what Hinata had said and was filled with a warmth inside his chest. He was proud that he had dealt with the situation well, the girl had seemed relieved to talk and although he didn't much respond, it looked as though he had acted in the right way. Shikamaru knew that he wanted to see the girl succeed, he had seen her that year ago in the Chuunin Exams where she held her ground against her cousin even though she was clearly out-matched, she deserved the acknowledgement of her skills.

-

The sun bathed the scene, you could see it through the small gaps in the canopy, you could feel it even in the shade of the dense vegetation. It was a nice feeling after the two previous grey, lifeless days. It was their last day of travel and the teams were well-within the Land of Earth, roughly a four hour jog to the village.

He felt it immediately, that slightly cool breeze that sent Goosebumps through him: not temperature related. It seemed as though he wasn't the only one; Gai halted at his position at the front of the group and he heard Akamaru whine.

Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan and shouted out loud enough for just the group to hear, "Five p-people coming in from the w-west." She gestured to her left side. "They feel s-strong. They'll be here in t-two minutes at the s-speed t-they're going."

The group fell into the formation that they had been told to. Gai stood protectively in front of Lee, Tenten and Sakura; Kurenai in front of Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru and Chouji. Shikamaru stood in between the two jounin, eyes sharp and ears straining in concentration. They stood motionless in defensive positions; the five approaching were almost certainly enemies of Konoha.

He picked up on the movement quickly in the corner of his eyes and his hand jerked to the chain. He turned his head to the right and saw it: the headband had a deep slash through it. Missing-nin.

"Kiba. Chouji. Make sure Sakura remains unharmed." He spoke with authority that he supposed he didn't technically have. He was their superior but with their jounin-sensei present he was out-ranked, it didn't seem to matter to them though as the two boys and the dog moved in to stand protectively in front of the girl. It wasn't as though the girl was weak, but her role as Medic made her important to the success of the mission; it would be better if others were hurt as she could heal them but she couldn't if she were harmed.

Three ninja descended on the group, if Hinata were accurate, which he didn't doubt, then there were two others waiting to strike. Shikamaru acted quickly, if he had more time then he could have formed a proper plan but with a couple of minutes, seven teammates with unknown skills to him (he knew Chouji well) and five mystery attackers, there were far too many variables. His hand tightly clamped around one end of his Kusari-fundo and he quickly flicked at the closest assailant. The man flew back. Shikamaru got a good look at him: he was in his late twenties, well formed and tall, Shikamaru would guess close-range taijutsu was his speciality from his tense and fast movement. Shikamaru advanced as the man withdrew.

At this point, Shikamaru was slightly ashamed to say he lost track of what was going on around him and just hoped that his team would be able to withstand the attack: two experienced jounin and a selection of talented genin (including a Hyuuga and a medic) should have a good chance.

The Nara kept edging the missing-nin back whilst keeping the distance between them, his opposition didn't seem to be too bright if he felt the shorter, young, less muscled ninja could beat him in hand-to-hand combat: Shikamaru wasn't complaining. Still, Shikamaru decided to end it as quickly as he could; he skilfully rewound his Kusari-fundo with one hand and without paying attention to it. His right hand then fell to his side naturally and he pulled one of the scrolls of the chain. His eyes never leaving the man's he smirked as he unravelled the scroll, quickly swiped a streak of blood from his bitten finger and directed it to his enemy. Faster than bullet, seemingly at the speed of light, a thin streak of bright yellow shot into the man's chest and the man fell backwards. Shikamaru would like to think all of his opponents would be so easy to kill but the truth was that his lightning scroll was a fast kill: the only one he really had, and the man had seemingly underestimated the abilities of 'one of the kids'.

The Nara darted forward to check he was dead before leaving the body and turning to the rest of the fight. The last two of the group seemed to have come out of hiding. Gai was in deep combat with what looked to be the leader of the group and Kurenai wasn't anywhere to be seen but neither was one of the opposition so he put that down to the woman's genjutsu. Hinata, Lee and Tenten seemed to be out-manoeuvring the woman that they were facing. Kiba and Chouji were trying to defeat their attacker whilst keeping Sakura covered at all times.

Shikamaru darted forward to the last group he saw. He edged in front of the man, blocking the genin from his view so as to force him into combat. His eyes were wild and the Nara knew that this man was not going to underestimate him as he had probably thought a group of young genin would be an easy target.

The chuunin shot a few well placed punches but his opponent looked quite at ease when he agilely dodged all hits aimed. This man was slimmer and older than the last, he had a burn along his arm and even though his eyes looked feral, you could tell that this man was far more experienced than his previous attacker.

Shikamaru narrowly dodged a rough kick but it was only a diversion.

The man pushed backwards and when enough space was placed between them, he formed several hand seals and put his left hand in front of his mouth. Shikamaru swiftly pulled forth his scroll and swiped his still-bleeding thumb over the paper.

A roar of flame erupted from the man's mouth but it was met by the pure force and power of a waterfall jetting out of the scroll engulfed the fire-breather.

Shikamaru didn't miss a beat and as the fire and water collided and steam drifted up into the sky, he quickly bolted forward and hit the man with force he didn't know he had. His scroll fell to the floor and stopped spewing liquid the moment he dropped it and the man he hit stumbled backward and grunted as he collided with a tree.

The Nara pulled forth his chained weapon and twirled it around the trunk of the tree and the person; keeping the man in place as the end shot around full force before wrapping around the other end, effectively trapping the man. The missing-nin growled and shook as hard as he could, trying to get free of his imprisonment. It would have worked if his weapon had not been infused with the 'Gift of the Hermit' by the Ninja Monks in thanks for his work with them, it left the metal harder and stronger than any he had come across.

The chuunin's hands slammed together in almost twenty different hand seals until his hand held a bright yellow glow. He moved forward and placed the index and middle finger of each hand on the temples of the man's face. There was a sharp intake of breath before the man paled and froze.

As Shikamaru looked back to the group he saw Kurenai staring down at what appeared to be the body of her opponent. He saw Gai deal the 'final-hit' as he heard the sickly crack of bones breaking and the body thudding to the floor. The woman that the genin had been fighting was already sprawled out on the floor in front of them.

Shikamaru wandered back to where he had dropped his bag, he lowered himself and pulled out a thick, empty scroll. Seeing what he was doing, Kurenai nodded in agreement. The chuunin moved to each of the bodies, taking his time to carefully seal each one in his scroll; you never knew if the bodies were going to be useful but you always brought back the bodies of missing-nin you found. The last body was the older of his attackers.

As he paid attention to the genin for the first time, he saw that Sakura was healing a cut that Tenten had received from the woman; it seemed as though that was the worst of the consequences which in itself was miraculous. He spoke to the two jounin of the group but left his words open to the genin. "I placed a seal on this body. He is still alive but will be unresponsive until I lift the seal." He then centred on Kurenai. "D'you want a go on should I send it back to the village?" Interrogation was Ibiki's forte but the Genjutsu-jounin was no weak-link.

The woman shook her head. "Send it to Ibiki." She directed.

Pulling ink from a pocket of the bag, he noted the brief details of the attack onto the same scroll before sealing in the last body. Once the scroll was ravelled and pulled to a shut, he once more trailed out a succession of hand seals before rubbing blood onto the scroll. A bright yellow light occurred and where the smear of blood had been, there was now a small symbol. A circle with a line through it in deep crimson: the Nara Family insignia.

If he had known how to make it so that only Tsunade or Ibiki could open it, he would have but the chuunin still had things to learn when it came to fuuinjutsu. This meant that only a member of the Nara family could open it by applying their blood; he knew his father would know what to do with it.

His thoughts went momentarily to how they would get it back to the village before he smirked slightly and looked to the genin. Time to do something that he had wanted to save for a surprise.

-

_The three Monks he had been accompanying were visiting a nice little temple in the North of the Land of Lightning. They seemed happy to see the smaller temples and to share in the similarities between all Monks: their faith._

_He had found himself wandering almost blindly along the rather desolate Wasteland that surrounded the place of worship. It seemed so horrible. Barren and lifeless; something you wouldn't thank the Lord for but Shikamaru knew the worst thing to do was to question the faith or a Monk. He had been walking for a good hour and though the views weren't brilliant he felt a force drawing him closer._

_Shikamaru couldn't tell you which turns and what direction he had headed but as he descended a cliff on a thin ledge working down to the bottom. When he got two thirds of the way down, he began to notice something strange. The wall that he had been gently touching to keep himself steady felt off; softer and less rough._

_There was a difference in the texture of the rock but it looked exactly the same. He ran his hand over the rocky surface and closed his eyes. He pinpointed the point at which there was a change, then with his other hand he moved to check along the wall further along. He had the right idea. This different material lasted for about a metre and a half. It seemed almost like a doorway._

_The Chuunin tentatively placed the palms of his hands towards the edges of this softer material and thrust forward with all of the strength he could muster. It didn't need much force and Shikamaru fell forward inelegantly as the substitute wall moved in further about two metres. You could see the thickness of the proper rock as the Nara moved through the path he had made; as he reached the end, he noted to his left there was a large gap in the wall._

_Shikamaru took a sharp breath and made his way through the gap. It was an unnecessary risk and he knew he probably shouldn't have gone in; who knew what was in there? It might have been Kumogakure's land and that would surely lead to his death. Yet his feet drew him further into the cave._

_As he walked in he came to find that he was in a large, almost empty room. His eyes didn't have to work much to get used to the light as the small gap in the wall seemed to supply more than enough light which in itself seemed wrong and unnatural._

_Before him was a large, indented prophet. It was imprinted into the wall at a size of two by three metres in height to width respectively and there were tiles dotted all around the room. There were two brackets in the wall that looked like they held fire for light. In one corner there was a large glass hour-glass. In another corner of the room was a pile of bones; these weren't the only bones, one body was spread out off to one side and there was another pile closer to the first. On closer inspection Shikamaru could tell they were all definitely human, each was a pale yellow and there was no hint of flesh on the bone: they all seemed to have been there for a while._

_As he moved over and let his hand lightly trace the tiled wall something happened. He felt a spark and quickly retracted his hand. Suddenly his way in closed sharply. Light vanishing with it. Fires then started to blaze forth in the brackets on the wall providing the light. The Hour glass had turned itself on its head and the sand was slowly slipping through the hole._

_Shikamaru knew then and there what he had to do. It was obvious, he was trapped and had a time limit: he had to put the tiles into the wall. _

_The tiles weren't regular squares, they all seemed to be different shapes; some triangles and some irregular hexagons. It wasn't going to be easy. As the Nara moved around the room and collected each tile he moved them to the front or the room so they were beside the prophet where he had to place them. There seemed to be a good sixty pieces._

_Shikamaru's breath became loud and uncontrolled as he tried his luck with the puzzle._

_The test stretched even his mind and he needed almost all of the time given to him to finish it; finishing with a minute or two to go. He didn't want to seem arrogant or conceited but he knew that very few ninja in his situation would have done better than him. It seemed that at least three people had failed the task. That coupled with the fact that this... Cave, wasn't exactly advertised meant that very few people would see what he saw. The puzzle glowed a disconcerting orange as he slotted the last piece into place. The dark etchings shone in that orange showing Shikamaru clearly what he had made. A large Lion was clear in the puzzle._

_The picture of the lion melted away into nothingness before the Nara's eyes. Behind where the tiles had been placed was an even bigger indent into the wall. Placed in the centre was a large scroll. As the chuunin's hand made contact with the scroll the fires went out. _

_Shikamaru felt power flowing into his veins and pumping around his body and at that point he knew exactly what was in the scroll. He knew because his mind was shuttering through images and new intelligence flowed into his brain. The dark seemed to last for an eternity but at the same time it felt as though no time had passed at all. His fist clenched around the scroll and he pulled it forth as the cave opened once more letting light travel into every corner of the room. It seemed as though he was the first to have succeeded in the task as he took the only scroll that the place held._

_Later that day, Shikamaru cut each of fingertips and signed his name in blood: he formed a pack with the Felidae._

-

He held the group's glance as he pulled out a kunai, slicing the right flange, his right thumb.

He received an odd glance from Kiba and it seemed that Tenten and Hinata both knew where this was going.

He slammed his hand to the floor and muttered out, "Kuchiyose Jutsu."

Shikamaru remembered the first time he tried, he had heard that the first tries almost always resulted in a failed attempt. He tried and instead of nothing or a newborn kitten, the Nara found himself facing a domestic cat who had helped him with his technique. Hoshi had been a tabby who wouldn't shut up but he supposed it was useful. He was Shikamaru's most frequent summon as he had been the one to introduce Shikamaru to Summoning. The Nara didn't often summon animals; most of the time it was for tracking or to stay with him to keep watch (something that Hoshi would do). This was different and Shikamaru knew what sort off animal he would need.

Using up most of his fast-depleting chakra reserves, a majestic Cheetah emerged from the ground. The Cheetah seemed to be made for this sort of work as it had a material with a clip around its neck. Shikamaru heard the intakes of breath from the people around him; to be honest, even he was surprised at how well that worked. He clipped the scroll to the Cheetah and told her where it needed to go; adding on a please and asking if it was okay to do it straight after. The Cheetah remained silent but nodded loosely before shooting off at a speed that didn't seem to be real; a speed that even every-day Cheetahs would have trouble reaching. He guessed that Summoned-animals held different qualities.

He smirked to himself as the team remained silent. It was one of the first times he had ever felt that others would love to have an ability he possessed, Shikamaru imagined this was how Sasuke felt as a child. In silence. he gathered his things and started heading in the direction they were going.

He wouldn't tell anyone but deep inside he was feeling horrible, he had exhausted most of his chakra supply on the sealing jutsu and the summoning. He wouldn't be much use if they were attacked again and just hoped that it didn't happen.

As he had time to think, he internally scolded himself. Collecting that lightning had not been an enjoyable task and he was not looking forward to having to do it again.

**As probably guessed the Felidae are basically felines: anything from the cat-family including but not limited to Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, Domestic Cats and Cheetahs.**

**The end of the last chapter is about as mushy as I get. I am not good writing romance especially fluffy feel-good love. However, there has to be a couple/relationship in every [good] (*Not saying my fic is good but saying that if I want it to be, there has to be romantic depth) story so I am trying to range what I write. Don't expect many more moments like that. **

**The question about the Anime Filler episodes still applies. From what I see so far, there are no supporters of them which is good for me as I didn't really want to watch them.**

**I had to type this out twice; my first draft was a lot longer. However I am lazy. And this shorter version saved you a very in-depth description of Shikamaru's apartment. My computer decided that it didn't like me... Again. Stupid temperamental machine.**

**There will be quite a few flashbacks of Shikamaru's year-long mission dotted around. If you have any ideas about events he encountered then I am happy to take suggestions.**

**The Shogi board last chapter was meant to be symbolic: the birds being Neji (eyesight and the idea that they are predatory) and as seen in this chapter, the cats being Shikamaru. I was thinking of a Lion when I decided this as the Leader of a pack (if that is what you call a group of Lions) the Lion is lazy; then I thought of the domestic cat and I don't know if it is just me but I always thought cats were quite clever and perceptive.**


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